Draw Something!

     When Kenny goes out of town for a couple of days (which he has but coming back today), I am the one-and-only chauffeur, alarm clock, and shepherd of my little trio.  It doesn't help that his business trips are always on the busiest of early morning school days,  and late baseball and choir practices,  and never in the leisurely days of summer.  But, such is life.  And our life is rather  great, but works much, much better when Kenny is around.
     Because my nights alone are packed preparing for the next day, and prepare I do, even down to setting out cereal bowls and spoons to make the morning rush that much more succinct, I've had little time to sit, think, return emails or even write.  But, what I have had a minute here and there for is to play "Draw Something" on my phone.
     Certainly you've heard of it by now, but if not, and you loved playing Pictionary in the 90's as much as I did, and you have the ability to get aps on your phone or a similar device, then please do and become my drawing friend.  You draw a picture (which isn't easy on a small screen with a big chunky finger) and then send it over to me, I figure it out, get some points, and then send one to you.  Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. It's quick, it's fun, and it beats Angry Birds.  That could be because I don't understand the hysteria over the bird thing or because I can never knock anything down.
     With the exception of Atari games (mostly Q-bert, Frogger, Miss PacMan, and Centipede), I never got into video games.  Mario and all his 1990's Nintendo friends and his random secret passages and getting bigger and then smaller, never made a dent with me.  I can't even tell you what game system came out after that.  What this means, is that I can't have a very meaningful conversation with a gamer. Which is usually okay because I don't know many gamers, or at least I didn't.
     Elijah is 8, and is now a bit obsessed with video games of all kinds - be it on a DS, or the Wii or borrowing our phones - so this causes a problem with meaningful conversation.  I can't even begin to tell you how many times I hear, "Mom, I just beat ------- followed by a long line of some team who did some move or jump or kick or catch and beat the other."  And he says it with such enthusiasm that I feel a bit guilty that I have nothing to respond with to continue the communication except, "good job honey."  Which is followed by - "time's up; put the game away." Which of course it also followed up with an explanation of what he's in the middle of and whining about how he can't stop yet. 
     But all this digression to tell you that now -- now, finally, I have "Draw Something" a game that Elijah and I both can agree on.  He often helps me figure out some of the pictures and I get his advice on whether or not my drawings even look like an image.  And if he had his own IPOD Touch, we'd probably be "drawing friends". 
     So, if you haven't gotten it yet.  Download "Draw Something" and search for OkieJenB.  I'll draw with you, and Elijah will probably join in too. Ah, mother-son bonding, and all in the name of a video game.